I returned home.

  The small slip of paper wedged into the door had not moved at all.

  It was an analog security device I had set up in case someone tried to sneak into the house.

  After entering the room, I also checked the doorframe.

  The paper tucked there was still in place as well.

  Anyone capable of breaking in would have to be a cultivator like me.

  Which meant they wouldn’t even consider the possibility of such security measures existing.

  They would inevitably leave traces.

  Wasn’t I being overly timid, you ask?

  Absolutely not.

  This was a matter of life and death.

  After rechecking the Concealment Formation, Alert Formation, Defensive Formation, and Protective Formation, I replaced the spirit stones. There was still a bit of glow left in them, but things like this had to be replaced before they were fully depleted. Phew, that wrapped up my post-outing routine.

  I went to the cultivation room and sat down cross-legged.

  Now it was time to devote myself to cultivation.

  The essence of the Nine Transformations Spirit Root Art lay in compressing spiritual power, then compressing it again.

  That process was repeated nine times to temper the spirit roots.

  Completing a single spirit root required five hundred years.

  There was no need to rush, but I had to be consistent.

  The reason other cultivators in the world risked their lives to raise their cultivation was because of lifespan.

  With a fixed lifespan, they fought over resources.

  If they didn’t fight and seize opportunities to raise their realm, they would die.

  I was different.

  With eternal lifespan, how empty would it be to die fighting over such trivial resources?

  I only needed to steadily focus on what I had to do.

  Slow for now, perhaps, but in the end I would reach a higher realm than anyone else, without fail.

  After about three hours of cultivation, I expelled the turbid qi.

  Then I took out the newly acquired formation jade slip.

  I pressed the jade slip to my forehead and examined it.

  This time as well, it contained three formations.

  Rain Formation, Flowing Water Formation, and the Water Severing Formation.

  My mouth stretched into a grin.

  The Water Severing Formation I had admired so deeply earlier was now in my hands.

  Of course, I would need to dismantle and analyze it thoroughly before I could use it.

  The Rain Formation and Flowing Water Formation were no less impressive.

  The Rain Formation literally caused rain to fall, while the Flowing Water Formation seemed related to the movement of water. Mastering these three formations would allow one to dominate water itself.

  I decided to examine the Rain Formation first.

  If I researched and improved this, then installed it in the subspace, it could serve as a sprinkler system.

  Then I wouldn’t need to go in every day to water things.

  I could only stay inside for two hours a day, so wasting time on trivial chores made me uneasy.

  If I hid in the subspace and time ran out, only to be exposed to an enemy, how disastrous would that be?

  A quick glance showed that it could make rain fall over an area as small as the palm of a hand, or as large as an entire cultivation realm.

  …Just how grand was the scale of our old man’s thinking?

  While dismantling the Rain Formation and developing a sprinkler formation, a suspicious notification sound suddenly rang out.

  [1 soul registered. Total manageable souls within Yun Xian Garden: 1.]

  What kind of nonsense was this?

  Startled, I hurried into the subspace.

  A man was standing in front of the hut.

  He wore a sky-blue robe, his long hair tied up atop his head.

  It was a face I felt I had seen somewhere before.

  Didn’t it say soul?

  Rather than a soul, he looked closer to a living person.

  He had a physical body.

  Could it be?

  The man jumped in surprise upon seeing me, then immediately prostrated himself and bowed.

  “Xue Baixuan greets his benefactor.”

  That settled it.

  The ghost that had been sealed in the jade token had been reborn as a fine-looking soul.

  The blood-soaked clothes were nowhere to be seen, and his face was clean.

  No, calling it clean wasn’t enough.

  It was the most handsome face I had seen since coming here.

  He was tall, too.

  Damn it. The world really was unfair.

  The man who introduced himself as Xue Baixuan, no, the soul, continued speaking while remaining prostrate.

  “Having been led back to the righteous path after falling into the ghost path through futile resentment, I could repay your grace for ten thousand years and still fall short. Please grant me the opportunity to repay your kindness.”

  …Had I really done that?

  I had just tossed the jade token into a corner.

  It felt like he was misunderstanding something, which made me a bit embarrassed.

  So the subspace had a purification effect as well.

  An unexpected discovery.

  If used well, this could be extremely useful.

  But if the soul had come out, didn’t that mean the size of the subspace stayed the same?

  I hurriedly looked around the boundary between the fields and the mist.

  Thankfully, the spirit herb fields had expanded compared to before.

  The mist that had surrounded the boundary was gone, revealing empty land.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The system confirmed it.

  [...The malicious qi and resentment possessed by the soul were absorbed, expanding the space of Yun Xian Garden. Total expanded area: 35 sq ft.]

  I always felt this, but the system seemed to harbor some dissatisfaction toward me.

  [...That is not the case.]

  See? I was right! There was dissatisfaction!

  Anyway. Did that mean one ghost could expand the subspace by 35 sq ft? That was sweet.

  Perhaps thinking my silence meant rejection, the soul spoke urgently.

  “Thanks to you, my lingering ties to the Underworld have been severed. Compared to the grace you have shown me, what I can do is less than dust, but I still wish to repay it somehow. Please, command me in anything.”

  His ties to the Underworld were severed?

  Had he been processed as dead upon entering the subspace?

  His faith in me was piercing the heavens.

  Well, possessing a subspace capable of blocking the Underworld would certainly lead to such a misunderstanding.

  He probably thought I was the master of some secret realm.

  That aside… if his ties to the Underworld were cut, that meant he couldn’t cultivate as a ghost anymore.

  Then he was just an ordinary soul. What could I even use him for?

  Still, since he was already occupying a spot in my subspace, I wanted him to do something. But what work was there to do here…

  “Can you grow spirit herbs?”

  Baixuan looked briefly flustered, then broke into a bright smile.

  Seriously, why was he so handsome? Tch.

  “Yes. I have personally cultivated some spirit herbs before.”

  “Oh, that’s great. Then take care of the spirit herbs. You can draw water from the Spirit Spring in front of the hut. I’ll get you some jade slips on spirit herb cultivation later, so read them. You can carry things, right?”

  Baixuan smiled and lifted the ladle by the Spirit Spring.

  Then he immediately started working.

  Hmm, so it really worked. He was just like a person.

  He didn’t slack off or get tired.

  He couldn’t leave this place or contact the outside world, so there were no security concerns.

  Since he was registered to Yun Xian Garden, rebellion was impossible.

  Then where was I supposed to use the sprinkler formation I had been developing?

  Suddenly, the irritating face of that guy who had offered an alchemy formula to the sect and obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill and inner disciple status came to mind.

  Hm. Should I try selling formations too?

  Of course, I had no intention of becoming an inner disciple.

  There was no special treatment to be gained, only more restrictions.

  If they gave a Foundation Establishment Pill, I’d take it, but…

  What I wanted was spirit stones.

  That’s right.

  Before the Exchange Gathering opened, I would finish the sprinkler formation and put it up for auction.

  The despairing faces of tenant farmers came to mind.

  After all, Qingliu City was the only place suffering from water shortages.

  It was a prestigious Exchange Gathering renowned enough to be recorded in the Cultivation White Records, so high-ranking officials of Qingliu City would surely attend.

  Otherwise, there was no reason for it to be held here.

  Spirit fields weren’t the only places that needed water.

  Precious spirit herbs were watered using Spirit Rain Art, but even that was no simple matter.

  Using a Rain Formation made it even more so.

  Activating formations daily was exhausting, and the spirit stone cost was no joke.

  The sprinkler formation I was creating would disperse a fixed amount of water at set times.

  It wouldn’t cost many spirit stones either.

  Why? Because I was poor. I was designing it to conserve spirit stones as much as possible.

  The City Lord of Qingliu City and the sect backing him didn’t seem to have terrible character.

  No, by cultivation world standards, they were practically conscientious.

  So the likelihood that they would win my formation at auction was high.

  I made my decision.

  For the time being, I would focus solely on improving formations.

  ***

  I sat on the porch and began dismantling the Rain Formation. Maybe it was because the air was good.

  Studying in the subspace worked extremely well.

  With midnight approaching, there was no risk even if the two-hour limit was reached.

  As I studied intently, time flew by before I realized it.

  Regretfully, it was time to return to my room.

  I stood up.

  Baixuan, who had been watering the spirit herbs and wiping each leaf, hurried over.

  A truly exemplary worker.

  “Benefactor, are you leaving?”

  Mm… he was too respectful.

  It was almost burdensome.

  What was I supposed to do about that worshipful gaze?

  I just couldn’t get used to it.

  Leaving him sealed in a jade token felt a bit prickly now…

  “You don’t have to be that polite.”

  Baixuan shook his head, saying he couldn’t do that.

  “Benefactor must have come from the Upper Realm, yes? Having lost your cultivation due to unavoidable circumstances, you are starting over from the beginning, are you not? I cannot treat such an esteemed person lightly. Above all, you pulled me out of the ghost path and purified me.”

  Baixuan’s eyes were clear, without the slightest doubt or confusion.

  There was no trace of his former ferocious appearance.

  He looked exceedingly kind.

  How had he ever become such a vengeful spirit?

  Well, who didn’t have a story?

  Didn’t I have my own share as well?

  There was no need to pry before he chose to speak. Curiosity could sometimes become a wound.

  Fine. Do as you please.

  It seemed I still had a long way to go.

  Feeling guilty over receiving a bit of respect in this bloodless cultivation world.

  I should reflect on myself.

  “From now on, I’ll leave this place to you. Manage the spirit herb fields and take good care of the rabbits over there too.”

  Sensing my gaze, the leader of the Jade Ear Rabbits bared its teeth and stomped the ground.

  What an insolent thing.

  A real thug.

  Well, it was already over four hundred years old.

  It had long since become a top-tier spirit beast.

  Time flowed four times faster here, after all.

  I averted my gaze slightly.

  Right. You avoid shit because it’s dirty, not because you’re afraid of it.

  “They do graze on the grass growing here, but just in case, I mix grass, grain powder, and Spirit Spring water to make feed for them. You don’t need to give it often, just once every three or four days.”

  Baixuan’s expression suddenly darkened.

  What was wrong?

  Could it be… was he afraid of rabbits?

  The Jade Ear Rabbits had bulked up a bit, but they were still domesticated rabbits.

  I was about to say he only needed to be careful around a few of them when Baixuan spoke.

  “I apologize, Benefactor, but after awakening here, while exploring the secret realm, I saw that… feed piled up beside the hut. I cannot say the formulation is very good. Forgive my impertinence.”

  I had nothing to say.

  It was true that I had mixed it haphazardly.

  No wonder the rabbits kicked at me every time I fed them.

  Baixuan scratched his head and asked with an innocent face.

  “Well… I was an alchemist in life, so I am somewhat particular about pills. If it wouldn’t offend you, may I reformulate it? It will be good for the Jade Ear Rabbits too. I’ll consider both nutrition and taste carefully.”

  My ears perked up.

  This was unbelievable. He was that rare alchemist?

  Had I struck gold?

  Make it, make it. Make as much as you want.

  And give me some too.

  The system reacted in disgust after hearing my thoughts.

  [...Now you’re even eyeing rabbit feed…]

  What, why. It could substitute for Bigu Pills, couldn’t it?

  It would probably taste better too. Tch.

  ***

  While observing the grass growing on the floor of the subspace, Baixuan asserted that it was also a spirit herb imbued with spiritual energy.

  I had only thought it was high-quality grass because it grew in a spirit-rich subspace.

  Had the Jade Ear Rabbits’ rapid reproduction been due to eating spirit herbs?

  Their current number had surpassed ninety.

  Their size was no joke either.

  I had been wondering if it was time to sell some to inns or taverns.

  “Then I’ll buy the alchemy materials tomorrow. A cauldron and furnace, spirit charcoal, cutting shears, a scale, a sieve, medicine bottles, pine pollen, grain powder—this should be enough, right?”

  “Yes. They aren’t difficult pills to make. Fortunately, geothermal heat rises here in the hut. There’s also the Spirit Spring. Once we gather materials later, I’ll be able to make higher-grade pills as well.”

  That worked out nicely.

  From now on, I should learn some Alchemy Art through this person—no, this soul.

  Why not just have Baixuan make pills nonstop?

  Who knew how things might turn out?

  You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.

  Just in case, it was necessary to master all cultivation arts.

  Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to let Baixuan rest.

  I just meant I’d learn as well.

  With a satisfied heart, I left the subspace.

  To think I had my own personal alchemist now!

  If only the room were bigger, I’d be doing somersaults fifteen times over.

  I lay down on the bed, overjoyed.

  It felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

  ***

  As if.

  I fell asleep the moment I lay down.

  I even overslept compared to usual.

  While hurriedly washing my face, the back of my hand suddenly stung.

  Without thinking, I checked it.

  And was startled.

  Words had appeared on the back of my hand.

  I hurriedly read them.

  Strangely, the letters appeared in sync with my reading speed.

  [Qinglu Exchange Gathering scheduled to be held in 4 days. Before attending, infuse the pattern with spiritual power to use Disguise Technique. Location: Okheon Pavilion of Qingliu City. Those without an invitation pattern, or whose pattern does not display this invitation, may not attend.]

  …The Exchange Gathering schedule had been set.

  I needed to hurry and complete the sprinkler formation.